volatile en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- (UK) audio
- /ˈvɑ.lə.təl/ (General-American)
- /ˈvɒl.əˌtaɪl/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- [ˈvɑl.ə.tʰl̩] (General-American)
- [ˈvɒl.əˌtʰaɪ̯l] (Received-Pronunciation)
Etymology
From Middle French volatile, from Latin volātilis (“flying; swift; temporary; volatile”), from volō (“to fly”).
Meanings
- Evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions.
- (informal) Of a substance, explosive.
-
Of a price, variable or erratic.
Its pricing is highly volatile — and therefore highly risky. For all its nosebleed ascents, bitcoin also has had some gut-punching plunges. Between November 2021 and November 2022, for example, the price of bitcoin dropped 75%, from $64,455 to $16,196, according to data on coinmarketcap.com.
2024 November 19, Jeanne Sahadi, “Bitcoin has smashed records. Should you invest?”, in CNN Business, archived from the original on 04 Jun 2025:
-
Of a person, quick to become angry or violent.
a volatile man
-
Fickle.
Now Mr. Bush plans to pour more arms into this unstable region and add fuel to the volatile powderkeg he has foolishly created.
2007 August 1, “Unwise Arms Deal With Saudi Arabia (2 Letters)”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 26 Nov 2022:
- Temporary or ephemeral.
- Of a situation potentially violent.
-
Of a variable etc., having its associated memory immediately updated with any changes in value.
This method stores a value into a non-volatile field called result, then stores true in the volatile field finished. The main thread waits for the field finished to be set to true, then reads the field result.
2010, Jon Jagger, Nigel Perry, Peter Sestoft, Annotated C# Standard, page 467:
- Of memory, whose content is lost when the computer is powered down.
- (obsolete) Passing through the air on wings, or by the buoyant force of the atmosphere; flying; having the power to fly.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| more volatile | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| most volatile | Degree=Sup | lexicographic |
Deriveds
volatility · volatilomic · nonvolatile · volatilization · semivolatile · volatilizer · involatile · sal volatile · volatilize · volatile memory · caustic volatile alkali · volatileness · volatile organic compound · volatilise · volatilely · unvolatile · volatilomics · volatilome
Synonyms
volatile · quick · rampant · transitory · raging · furious · rabid · unpredictable · grim · passing · deciduous · ferocious · fugacious · ephemeral · furious · fleeting · savage · changeable · fugitive · momentary · passing · infuriate · wild · volatile · fleeting · rabid · short-lived · incessive · erratic · evanescent · brief · seasonable · transient · whilend · temporary · flying · perishable · instant · raging · transitive · short · transitory · fierce · earthly · worldly
Translations (166)
bg непостоя́нен (fickle) · cs přelétavý (fickle) · th ลบเลือนได้ (evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions) · no flyktig (evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions) · it incostante ((of a price etc) variable or erratic) · it instabile ((of a price etc) variable or erratic) · fi räjähdysherkkä ((informal) explosive) · nl licht ontvlambaar (evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions) · id sementara (temporary or ephemeral) · pt instável ((of a price etc) variable or erratic) · nl tijdelijk (temporary or ephemeral) · de schwankungsanfällig ((of a price etc) variable or erratic) · de flatterhaft (fickle) · de volatil (evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions) · mi kirikawa (quick to become angry) · ru лету́чий (temporary or ephemeral) · es volátil (evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions) · sk prchavý (evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions) · hu illó (evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions) · ja 揮発性 (evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions) · hu ingadozó ((of a price etc) variable or erratic) · it instabile ((of a situation) potentially violent) · cs vztahovačný (quick to become angry) · ka ცვალებადი ((of a price etc) variable or erratic) · de brisant ((informal) explosive) · uk літки́й (evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions) · id kisruh ((of a situation) potentially violent) · ka ფეთქებადი ((informal) explosive) · ja 爆弾 ((informal) explosive) · el ευμετάβλητος (fickle) · uk мінли́вий ((of a price etc) variable or erratic) · fi haihtuva ((computing, of memory) whose content is lost when the computer is powered down) · id darah tinggi (quick to become angry) · fi epävakaa ((of a situation) potentially violent) · id asiri (evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions) · fi häilyväinen (temporary or ephemeral) · ko 휘발성의 (evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions) · ro volatil (evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions) · ka ფხუკიანი (fickle) · de verdunstend (evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions) · nl vluchtig (evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions) · el προσωρινός (temporary or ephemeral) · de volatil ((computing, of memory) whose content is lost when the computer is powered down) · gv so-ghaalagh (evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions) · ka წარმავალი (temporary or ephemeral) · ka ასაფეთქებელი ((informal) explosive) · cs těkavý (evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions) · he נדיף (evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions) · it temporaneo (temporary or ephemeral) · de vergänglich (temporary or ephemeral) · id meruap ((computing, of memory) whose content is lost when the computer is powered down) · pl lotny (evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions) · de brisant ((of a situation) potentially violent) · bg летлив (evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions) · ru изме́нчивый (fickle) · mk кратко́траен (temporary or ephemeral) · ru вспыльчивый (quick to become angry) · tr uçucu (evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions) · ca volàtil (evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions) · de unstet ((of a price etc) variable or erratic) · no labil, ustadig, ustabil (fickle) · pl ulotny ((computing, of memory) whose content is lost when the computer is powered down) · hu illékony (evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions) · de nervös (fickle) · fi häilyväinen (fickle) · it variabile ((of a price etc) variable or erratic) · cs prchavý (evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions) · mk про́менлив (fickle) · ka ფიცხი (quick to become angry) · sv eterisk (evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions) · de volatil (quick to become angry) · de unbeständig ((of a price etc) variable or erratic) · fi vaihteleva ((of a price etc) variable or erratic) · de unbeständig (fickle) · pl napięty ((of a situation) potentially violent) · vi dễ bay hơi (evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions) · it suscettibile (quick to become angry) · de unbeständig (temporary or ephemeral) · ro efemer (temporary or ephemeral) · de flüchtig (temporary or ephemeral) · el επιπόλαιος (fickle) · mk и́спарлив (evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions) · cs nestálý ((of a price etc) variable or erratic) · cmn 易揮發的 /易挥发的 (evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions) · it volatile ((informal) explosive) · ms meruap (evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions) · el εκρηκτικός ((of a situation) potentially violent) · ru непостоя́нный (fickle) · de explosiv ((informal) explosive) · pl zmienny ((of a price etc) variable or erratic) · af vlugtig (evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions) · ja 発破 ((informal) explosive) · cs prchlivý (quick to become angry) · cmn 動蕩不定的 /动荡不定的 ((of a price etc) variable or erratic) · cs prchavý (temporary or ephemeral) · fr volatil ((of a price etc) variable or erratic) · ru энергозависимый ((computing, of memory) whose content is lost when the computer is powered down) · cs výbušný ((of a situation) potentially violent) · it volubile (fickle) · ar مُتَقَلِّب ((of a price etc) variable or erratic) · it volatile (evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions) · mk при́времен (temporary or ephemeral) · fr volatil (evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions) · bg временен (temporary or ephemeral) · de leichtflüchtig (evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions) · bg краткотраен (temporary or ephemeral) · mi pūkākā (quick to become angry) · de wechselhaft (fickle) · de aufbrausend (quick to become angry) · ka დროებითი (temporary or ephemeral) · ga luaineach (evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions) · pl niestabilny ((of a price etc) variable or erratic) · de unruhig (fickle) · id rentan (fickle) · ka მერყევი ((of a situation) potentially violent) · ka არამდგრადი ((of a price etc) variable or erratic) · fi räjähdysherkkä (quick to become angry) · sv flyktig (evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions) · el πτητικός (evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions) · id volatil ((computing, of memory) whose content is lost when the computer is powered down) · de wechselhaft ((of a price etc) variable or erratic) · id naik turun ((of a price etc) variable or erratic) · pt volátil (evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions) · fi haihtuva (evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions) · el ρευστός ((of a price etc) variable or erratic) · ka ფიცხი (fickle) · ka არასტაბილური ((of a price etc) variable or erratic) · mk непо́стојан (fickle) · ka საშიში ((of a situation) potentially violent) · de unstet (fickle) · de labil (quick to become angry) · gl volátil (evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions) · cs náladový (quick to become angry) · sv volatil ((of a price etc) variable or erratic) · it effimero (temporary or ephemeral) · cs nestálý (fickle) · ar مُتَطَايِر (evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions) · os сысгӕ (evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions) · ru изме́нчивый ((of a price etc) variable or erratic) · ja 一触即発 ((of a situation) potentially violent) · el εφήμερος (temporary or ephemeral) · de sprunghaft (fickle) · cmn 易變的 /易变的 (fickle) · fi volatiili ((of a price etc) variable or erratic) · pl ulotny (temporary or ephemeral) · ka აქროლადი (evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions) · el εκρηκτικός ((informal) explosive) · cy anweddol (evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions) · pl nieuchwytny (temporary or ephemeral) · cy hydarth (evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions) · ru лету́чий (evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions) · el πτητική ((computing, of memory) whose content is lost when the computer is powered down) · el ευμετάβλητος ((of a price etc) variable or erratic) · el άστατος (fickle) · ka მერყევი (fickle) · de flüchtig (evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions) · cmn 易怒的 ((of a situation) potentially violent) · fi lyhytkestoinen (temporary or ephemeral) · id mudah menguap (evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions) · mi tākohukohu (evaporating or vaporizing readily under normal conditions) · id mudah berubah ((of a price etc) variable or erratic) · no eksplosiv ((informal) explosive) · it volatile ((computing, of memory) whose content is lost when the computer is powered down) · id peledak ((informal) explosive) · fr volatil ((computing, of memory) whose content is lost when the computer is powered down) · de schwankend ((of a price etc) variable or erratic)